Sunday, June 17, 2007

Odd People Out (Seres Extravagantes)

Cuban writer Reinaldo Arenas, the subject of the film Before Night Falls (Antes de Anochecer), was defiantly open about his homosexuality and his disillusionment with the communist revolution in Cuba. His works were mostly published abroad during his lifetime, and he was forced to flee to the U.S. in the 1980 Mariel boatlift, ending up in New York City. He was diagnosed with AIDS in 1987, and took his own life in 1990 when his health had declined to the point that he could no longer write. Odd People Out documents his life, with interviews with friends and family. Worth seeing.